Abbrs. + Othr pzls

Today being very hot, too hot to go out, it was hot enough to brew sun tea. Which I did. Loose tea in the container, out in the sun, infusing and infusing. 

It's the subpar tea that I got the refund on, maybe this will be a good use. Worth a try. I strained it into a carafe. With the handmade Mickey stirrer, present from a glassblower friend.

Here it is, just cool enough to handle. The lemon slices are from the freezer so they're acting as ice cubes as well as flavoring. It's in the fridge now. I'll check it when it's cold.

Lunch was several small pasties, leek, potato, Thai basil, parmesan. Little sprig of the basil, for garnish, now that it's growing fast enough to pick 

Same sprig flavored the leek and potato soup later for supper. Yes, heavy emphasis on leeks since I accidentally bought enough to supply a small commune.

And today, speaking of ordering leeks, was Misfits box building day, where I order up and find I've gone way over the minimum, no fears I won't qualify. Posh name greeting from them, only because I have to use the name on my credit card. The order will arrive Friday.

Also it will soon be fireworks for the Fourth, and handsome Son and I go every year to a great spot he found where we can bring our chairs and see the show without needing to be in the crowds. 

It's a little grassy area a street away with a sky view and the company of a few other clever people who don't like crowds much either. Parking is right there, no crowds to navigate when we leave.

So I asked him to check when the show will be. Usually not on the fourth, that's a prime expensive booking time for the fireworks people, townships tend to fit around it, so you have to check each year which night they got.

Now, he has the same frugal gene as his mother's side of the family, and it shows up in his texting.  Not a wasted syllable when you pay as you go.

This just arrived and after a few tries, I broke the code.  I think it means he's on it.

Not that this took a lot of the day. That was mainly spent doing laundry just in case there's a power outage, listening to a Christie,  Murder is Easy, while I Tunisian crocheted tiny mitered squares, just because I like doing them, no other aim. And catching a bit of Sarah Millican on YouTube. And waking with a jolt to realize I'd been sleeping.

Very leisurely day, really. Maybe a bit of Persuasion this evening. 

Summertime..or smrtm, as the case may be.

Honesty harvest

So the seasons being all mixed up this year, pansies still blooming which are usually gone early May, daylilies bang on schedule, Rose of Sharon two months ahead, honesty likewise, I thought I'd check the potatoes and the honesty.

Potatoes not ready, late this year, honesty ready to harvest for lovely addition to everlasting flowers, and for replanting the seeds.

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I love gently rubbing the seedpods to expose that silver disc, and the seeds embedded in it.

So that's today's gardening in the short time I can be out in the heat.

Also happy to announce the departure, as of yesterday,  of a huge and ugly dead limb on my wild cherry, courtesy of next door neighbor, on condition I kept the rest of the tree. He hates to cut, but wanted to help me.

Original plan was to have yet another friend,  in the tree business,  fell the whole thing and just leave the suckers coming up from the roots. Then his sister, who's a neighboring friend, would have the wood for lovely cherry fires.

But his sick wife and desperate home situation made it impossible. This was the fallback. And now I can see it, it's better than removing the whole trunk. It won't fall on me now that fifteen foot dead bit is gone.

I've been nervous for ages in case this came down on me, having had a near thing with the previous branch after a storm. This gnarly dead old branch reached right across the patio.

Now it's cherry firewood for another neighbor, husband of the sister of the tree feller (both senses), if you follow me,  helped with the cutting and hauling away. Same fireplace, different route to it.

It looks a whole lot better now. And I set up shepherds' crooks for birdfeeders so they won't suffer from the departure of that limb.

I also note that squirrels have been totally unable to turn the feeder round two full turns to get it off the crook. And the split ring keeps it locked. They still feed but nobody gets to snaffle the entire feeder and drag it away so I have to search for it under the trees.

Then last night Handsome Son took us to the local Fourth of July fireworks, postponed because of wild storms last weekend. Lovely evening, great display, including some unofficial ones going off at a local business. Surround sound effects.

This has been a nice, if hot, weekend.